The early, dire speculation about the severity of Robert Griffin III's shoulder injury is apparently true. ESPN reported on Sunday that Griffin could miss up to 12 weeks, which could end his season.

The Browns quarterback suffered a fractured bone in his left shoulder in the season-opener against Philadelphia. The team placed him on the injured reserve Monday. If Cleveland designated him as the team's player to return, he would be eligible to return to practice in six weeks, but would have to sit out a minimum of eight games.

That would have left Griffin eligible to return in Week 10 for the Nov. 10 game against the rival Ravens.

Sunday's report throws that timeline into question. But as ESPN reported last week, that might turn out to be a mixed blessing, as some in the Browns organization feared coach Hue Jackson was spending too much time focused on fixing RGIII's flaws.